


Breathless

by RandomWriting789



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: CPR, Crying, Cute, Day At The Beach, Drowning, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Kiss of Life, Kissing, Mouth-to-Mouth, Swimming, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:28:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28502238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomWriting789/pseuds/RandomWriting789
Summary: Turns out, not everyone in the Horde was taught how to swim, and Catra was one of them. For years, she's had her catlike fear of water, but a fear she never considered was drowningWhen Mermista invites the group over to a lake in Salineas, Catra finds herself stuck between a rock and a hard place as the Princesses pressure her to go down a waterslide. Eventually resulting in her accidentally falling into the deep end!OrThe Adora gives CPR fic nobody asked for
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 137





	Breathless

''So where are we going again?'' Frosta asked as she ducked behind some vines

''Beats me'' Catra replied ''But it better be good''

Perfuma hummed ''Positive vibes, Catra'' she reminded her

Catra rolled her eyes ''How is that even negative?''

''It's not'' Scorpia laughed ''But I feel like you won't like it when we get there''

''We're almost here'' Glimmer heaved. She badly wanted to teleport but Mermista insisted they show up on foot. She'd told Scorpia, Perfuma and Seahawk where they were going, but to the rest, it was a mystery

Adora took Catra's hand ''Hey, I'm sure it'll be fun''

''My Mermista told me about it a long time ago, I can guarantee you'll enjoy it!'' Seahawk declared

''I don't really see the reason we have to go here though, perhaps it's First One's Tech!'' Entrapta's eyes lit up

''Guess again! It's not that'' Scorpia grinned

''We're here!'' Bow panted

''Ta-da'' Mermista said slightly enthusiastically as she stood outside the cave

Catra raised an eyebrow ''You dragged us all here for a cave?''

The mermaid gave her signature 'Ughhhh' ''It's not the cave you goober, it's what's _in_ the cave''

The group entered to see a beautiful crystal lake, hidden inside the mountain. The top opened up and let the sunlight shine through. There was a slight overgrowth of vines lining the walls and sandy beaches on their end of the shore, there was water running from small holes in the rocks, accumulating in the pool. Rays of sun made the aquamarine water glisten, it was one of the most beautiful places they'd ever seen

''I used to go here to practice my powers alot, and the cliffs up there were great for reading Mer-Mystery'' She pointed to some gray rocks a little higher up that they could dive from ''The place is untouched, even my parents didn't know about it''

''Well, _almost_ untouched, I may have followed her there a few times in the earlier stages of our relationship'' Seahawk grinned

Mermista glared at him for a second before addressing them again ''Oh yeah, you're not allowed to tell _anyone_ about this place, I want it to stay a secret''

Catra groaned ''You dragged us all out here to go _swimming_?''

''Uh, yeah, I think I just said that'' Mermista fired back ''I bought a bunch of swimsuits so they're all over there, and there's a few holes behind the rocks there that work as changing rooms'' She pointed to the places as she explained

''This'll be great! Do you mind if I communicate with the nature here, it seems so peaceful!'' Perfuma clapped happily

''Do you mind if I collect a sample? This water might be rich in all kinds of stuff!'' Entrapta pulled a test tube out of her pocket with her hair

Glimmer dipped a toe in the water ''Yeah, you really outdid yourself, Mermista, this place is awesome''

''Speak for yourselves, I'm staying on the beach, you guys splash around as much as you want'' Catra folded her arms

Bow tried convincing her ''Come onnnn, Catra, it's not a Best Friends Squad trip without you''

''Answers still no, and I already told you we're not calling us that'' She said hotheadedly as she walked away, grabbing one of the swimsuits

Adora sighed ''I'll talk to her'' She told the others before following Catra

The group nodded before grabbing their own respective suits and getting ready

Adora wore a sleeveless yellow swimsuit which stretched from her collar to her upper thigh. It had a small white stripe going down her side and a wavy design on her neckline, she had to admit, Mermista did pick some pretty cool outfits

Catra was wearing a vermillion bikini that had small frills on her chest and waistband. She felt like she was gonna turn as red as her outfit when she walked out. She nearly jumped as Adora moved the vines aside and entered the small hole

''You uh, look good'' the blonde tried starting

Catra sighed ''Look, it was the only thing here that came with a place for my tail so I didn't really have a choice'' she complained

''No, really, I think you look great'' Adora wrapped her arms around Catra's middle, resting her chin on her shoulder. She could feel a soft purr radiate from the feline

''Wait, I know what this is about'' Catra's head snapped up ''My answer's still no''

Adora's shoulders sagged ''Oh come onnn, I really thought I was getting to you that time''

''For the millionth time _No''_ Catra tried again

She yelped as Adora lifted her up in a nearly bone crushing hug ''Please? For me?''

'' _No''_

Catra gave a hmph of annoyance as she adjusted herself ''You're gonna have to put me down eventually'' she reminded her

''No I don't, I can keep this up as long as I want'' Adora grinned

The magicat's tail lashed ''This place is too tiny for She-Ra, she can't help you here''

''So what? I'm perfectly capable of lifting you without She-Ra'' Despite herself, she let out a hint of strain in her voice

''You're getting tired'' Catra smirked

Adora deeply inhaled ''No I'm not''

Catra giggled ''Okay, fine, I'll sit at the shallow side, is that enough for you?''

Adora's eyes visibly lit up ''Yes! This is gonna be so much fun!''

* * *

Catra sat, cross legged, at the shallow end of the lake as Adora took her 11th high dive down one of the cliffs

''Come on, Catra, you should join us!'' Perfuma tried 

Catra rolled her eyes '' _No,_ you're lucky Adora convinced me in here I'm not going any deeper in the water''

Glimmer teleported in front of her in a splash on water, she grabbed onto her arm '' _Please?_ There's some super cool stuff at the deep end you should see''

''I think I'm fine not knowing'' Catra replied

''Okay, just tell us when you wanna join in'' Bow smiled, taking the more kind approach

''Don't get your hopes up'' She remarked, looking back to see Adora climbing up for the twelfth time _She's gonna get brain damage from splashing alone_

A giant shadow suddenly loomed over her

Catra snarled ''Okay, for the millionth time, I'm not going, so can you just leave me-''

Scorpia plopped down in front of her, sending small waves in every direction ''Relax, Wildcat, It's just me'' She rested against one of the rocks ''Man, swimming really tires ya out, like it's fun, but after awhile everything starts to hurt''

''And those idiots still love doing it'' She facepalmed as Adora took her 13th dive

''Oh no, It's not bad or anything, it's actually pretty fun, you should try it sometime, uh, if you want too, though, I didn't mean to push you out of your-'' Scorpia was getting more and more flustered by the minute

''Okay, okay, stop, I know what you meant'' Catra scratched the back of her head ''I just...have my reasons for not wanting to go''

''Oh, yeah I _totally_ understand, I mean, water isn't that great anyway'' She waved her claws ''like, it gets stuck in your pincers and it's all wet, and-''

Catra shook her head ''It's not that''

Scorpia stopped short ''Then, what is it?''

The feline sighed, curling into herself, she glared at Scorpia ''I'll kill you if you tell anyone this''

'' _I can't swim_ ''

Scorpia's eyes widened ''WHAT?!''

Catra waved her hands, making a shushing noise, she glanced back to see Adora now splashing in the water ''Hey! I said don't say it out loud!'' She whisper-yelled

The Scorpion quieted herself ''Ok, ok, got it, got it'' She hushed her voice ''Does Adora know?'' she mouthed

Catra sank back, ''no, I didn't wanna ruin her perfect swimming day with her friends, if she knew, she'd probably just spend all her time here'' She glanced back to see Adora smiling and laughing with the others ''I plan on telling her later, I just, find it, kinda dumb''

''It's not dumb'' Scorpia tried ''I'm sure she won't find you dumb''

''And what am I supposed to do? Walk over to the edge, call her and go 'hey Adora, I can't swim' '' She added a cartoonish flair to her voice ''And then Adora's probably gonna go 'You can't swim? okay, how about I just ruin my whole day and sit in the shallows with you, I'm sure that'll be _way_ more fun!' '' She added a higher pitch to her 'Adora' voice that nearly made Scorpia laugh

''Okay'' Scorpia chuckled ''Not disagreeing with ya there''

''It's just- While we were growing up, Adora didn't exactly _get_ to have fun, and this whole time, she's been so wrapped up in thinking about everyone else, she never does anything for herself. '' She lowered her voice ''And it took me a stupid amount of time to realize that'' She paused ''So if I have to hide it for today, just so she doesn't constantly worry about me, I should give her that, it's the least she deserves''

She gave a soft smile this time as the blonde splashed out of the water

Scorpia smiled ''Ok, your secret's safe with me, and trust me, I'm great with secrets'' She stopped ''Wait, didn't we have a swimming programme when we were kids? Why didn't you just go there?''

Catra shrugged ''That was for-'' She quoted Shadow Weaver '' 'Cadets of the highest potential' and last time I checked, Princess Scorpia and 'She-Ra' Adora were alot higher on the 'potential' list than me''

Scorpia felt a pang of guilt at being mentioned ''Oh, sorry, I didn't know, Man, that's messed up''

''The whole Horde was messed up, and it's fine, we couldn't control how they treated us'' Catra remarked ''Just...don't tell anyone''

Scorpia smiled ''You got it, wildcat, I think I'm gonna go back in the water now'' She surged forward

''See ya'' Catra waved as Scorpia left

A few minutes later, Adora splashed out of the water behind her

''Ughhh, can a girl relax in peace!?'' Catra snarled as she was pulled into a hug from behind

''Sorry, did I scare you?'' Adora asked as she rested her chin on her shoulder

Catra relaxed in her arms, closing her eyes ''You wish'' she replied ''So what brings you to my tiny corner of the lake?''

''What, can't I sit with you for awhile?'' Adora drifted back onto a rock, pulling Catra in tow, despite herself, Catra let out a soft purr

''Aren't you supposed to be taking your fiftieth high dive or something?'' The brunette closed her eyes, laying against her

Adora hummed ''I can go on it late- _wait_ '' She said teasingly ''Were you _watching_ me?''

Catra went red ''No I wasn't! I was just looking at the cliffs!''

Adora grinned ''You liiikkkeee meee''

''We're literally dating, idiot'' Catra remarked

''Stillll'' She kissed her cheek ''That's so embarrassing for you''

''HEY! IF YOU TWO ARE DONE MAKING OUT, I GOTTA SHOW YOU SOMETHING!'' Mermista bended a tidal wave over them as she stood back at the beaches

Catra hissed as she was drenched in water ''SERIOUSLY! IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU GUYS?!?''

''Quit playing in the kiddy pool and join us then!'' Frosta yelled, wading out of the water

Adora grinned, taking Catra's hand, ''Come on, let's check it out''

''Whatever'' Catra groaned as she was dragged out

The entire group was out by the time Catra and Adora joined ''This better be good'' The magicat murmured as she dried her tail

''Okay, so, like I wasn't planning on telling anyone about this but since you guys are my friends and you're here-'' Mermista began

''-And some extra convincing from me-'' Seahawk chimed in

''-I've got one last surprise for you guys up there'' She pointed up to a cave a little higher in the mountain. It had a small light coming from it and was a little hard to spot between the rocks, but it was there

Adora cracked her knuckles ''I've been climbing rocks all day, this'll be a cinch''

Catra unsheathed her claws ''I bet I can get up there faster than you''

Glimmer smiled at Frosta ''Want me to teleport you up? I bet we can beat them''

''I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY, SPARKLES!'' Catra laughed as she practically flew all the way up

''HEY! THAT'S NOT FAIR, YOU GOT A HEADSTART!'' Adora began climbing too

Mermista groaned ''I already regret this''

Eventually everyone made it to the top, Seahawk picked up a lantern, leading them through

''You should've at least given us time to grab our clothes'' Glimmer shivered as they walked across

Catra had her hand in Adora's the whole way through ''I'm warning you, water Princess, if it has something to do with-''

''Calm your tail and keep walking'' Mermista groaned ''We're almost there''

They stopped at an aquamarine stream, running back in the direction they came. The flow seemed powerful, yet leisurely, Perfuma peered inside the dark tunnel, wondering where it lead, the sides of the caves seemed smooth, covered in algae, it didn't seem dangerous at all

''It's a natural slide leading right to the lake'' Mermista explained proudly

Frosta inhaled ''Let me get this straight, we walked all the way up, just to ride back down?''

Seahawk shrugged ''That about sums it up, yes''

''I have to admit, it does look as fun as you described'' Perfuma smiled

''It's alot more fun than it looks, you're lucky I'm telling you about it'' Mermista smiled ''So, whose going first?''

''Yeah, no, I'm climbing back down, see ya'' Catra turned around to walk away

''Come on, Catra, try it out!'' Glimmer pressured

Catra was about to tell her off when Bow pushed too ''Yeah, you were the first up here, you should be the first to go''

The brunette stammered ''I- well-''

''I've gone on this thing like a thousand times, you should try it out'' Mermista was almost kind to her, and she was barely _ever_ kind to her

''I'm sure it'll be a riveting experience'' Perfuma grinned

''Plus, it's a long walk back'' Frosta said tiredly

Catra relented ''This leads to the _side_ of the lake, right?''

The mermaid shrugged '''Around there''

She'd just find something to hold onto when she got to the end, the stream seemed the have little pressure going through it, she'd just grab something, make her way back through the edge and return to the safety of the shallows before anyone even saw her. It was risky, but it was better than letting everyone down. This was the first time she felt like a part of the group, she couldn't pass that up

''Fine'' She climbed into the middle of the stream, gripping the rocks on the side

Adora noticed how uncomfortable she was ''Hey, Catra, are you okay?''

''I'm good'' the slight jitter in her voice betrayed her

Scorpia chose that moment to try and help ''I think Catra and I should go back, I'm startin' to feel kinda-''

''Don't be silly, you said you were really excited to try the slide'' Perfuma smiled

Scorpia felt too pressured and stopped talking

Catra pushed herself forward ''Lets just get this overwith''

The ride through might've actually been fun if Catra wasn't so focused on the end, the walls were covered in moss and algae, they were insanely slippery and smooth. Catra felt the panic rising in her as she swiveled around in the pitch black. Was it just her, or was she going faster? She tried to slow herself down but it wasn't working, the algae combined with the water pressure wasn't letting her hold on, she breathed heavily

She could see light at the end now, she had to grab onto something! Catra frantically waved her hands but she kept slipping, she was going _faster_ and _faster._

She inhaled deeply as she was practically thrown into the lake

Mermista was trying to explain how fun the slide really was ''So it like, gets faster and faster while you keep going until it _throws_ you right into the lake, and then you kinda need a minute to chill and get back up''

Scorpia's eyes widened ''Throws you into the lake? Like _the deep end?_ ''

Mermista raised an eyebrow ''Uh, yeah, where else?''

Scorpia began to panic ''oh no, CATRA!''

Adora's mood shifted, she suddenly became completely serious ''What's wrong? What happened to Catra?'' 

''SHE CAN'T SWIM!'' The Scorpion yelled

The blonde's eyes widened ''CATRA!'' She yelled as she jumped right into the stream, moving across as fast as she could

She considered transforming as she speedily slipped across the dark tunnel, no, that wouldn't work, She-Ra's size and weight would be more of a liability here. Her eyes were wild as they darted around in panic, her heart beat out of her chest as she sped up, the water pressure working in her favor. All of a sudden, she saw a light, and was thrown right into the lake

She recovered quickly, swimming up to get a gulp of air, her head swiveled in every direction as she saw no sign of Catra

Without thinking, she dove down, searching and scanning the blue depths for the magicat, swimming deeper and deeper. Where was she? _Where was she?!_

She came up and took another gulp before pushing herself down harder, she had to find her, she had to get to her, she couldn't lose her, not now, not like this

And then she spotted it, a limp body leisurely drifting in the dark depths of the lake

Adora nearly gasped as she saw her. Her arms were drifting above, her mouth was open, her eyes were closed, she seemed so _lifeless_

Panic build up in her as she grabbed Catra's arm and dragged her towards her, Catra looked so small and fragile, the color in her skin was fading, Adora had to get her up for air

Her ankles felt like they were set on fire as she practically charged up to the surface again

Catra remained unconscious 

_no no no no no no no no no_

Adora swam across, getting them out of the water and laying her on the sandy shore

''CATRA!?! CATRA! PLEASE! BREATHE!''

She shook the body violently, but Catra made no noise, her mouth remained open

Adora was hyperventilating as she remembered her training, she placed her hands over Catra's chest, intertwining her fingers and pushed downward, twice each second

''Catra, Catra please'' she begged as the magicat didn't respond

''You're not leaving me like this, Catra!'' She pushed harder ''Y-You can't leave me, I can't lose you''

She heaved as the compressions became more incessant, hot tears left her eyes ''Catra get up! Please!''

She tilted Catra's chin upward, pinching her nose, and took a deep inhale

Her lips locked with Catra's as she pushed air into her lungs

Adora could feel herself losing air as she pushed it into Catra, she let go for another second to take another breath

Her own warm tears cascaded onto Catra's face as she silently begged for the magicat to wake up

_please please please_

She put her hands together and pushed Catra's chest once again, heaving as she fruitlessly attempted to save her ''Catra, please, please''

Catra's chest jerked as she began coughing,

Water spattered out of her mouth as she turned over, retching, followed by multiple deep breaths as her wide eyes looked all over

And then she collapsed again, everything hurt, her brain and body felt like they'd been flooded, she fell back onto the sand, her chest dramatically rising and falling as she breathed

And then her mismatched eyes locked with the panicked, greyish blue ones

''A-Adora?'' she choked out

Adora was upon her immediately, lifting her off the sand and into her arms, with how tired she felt right now, Catra was fine with Adora moving her anywhere, she became more alert as she heard the Princess sobbing

''I thought I'd lost you'' she cried. She could feel Catra's breathing against her now, she was alive, she was safe, Adora didn't think she'd ever been so relieved in her life

She withdrew herself to look Catra in the eyes, they were half open as the rest of her being hung limp, only supported by Adora's hold. They were tired, but they were still full of life. ''Why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim?'' Adora sounded so desperate and hurt, it nearly reduced Catra to tears herself

''I-I don't know, I just thought it'd get in the way of everything, I was planning on telling you but you were having so much fun and-'' She stammered breathlessly

Adora pulled her close again, listening to her soft breathing ''Don't _ever_ do that again, I-I was so worried about you''

''I'm sorry'' Catra whimpered ''I didn't mean t-''

''Shh, shh. It's okay, It's okay, we can talk about it when we get home'' She ran her fingers through Catra's silky wet hair, she preferred just holding ''I'm just glad you're okay''

''CATRA! ARE YOU OKAY?'' Glimmer, along with the others, was sprinting towards them

Adora maneuvered Catra to have her head resting on her shoulder as she sat up, the rest of her cradled in the Princess' lap ''She's okay!'' She replied

Glimmer took a worried glance at everyone ''Want me to teleport you guys home? I can bring your clothes later''

Adora nodded fervently, ''Yeah, yeah that's a good idea'' She looked down at the frail magicat she was holding ''Catra, Glimmer's gonna get us home, okay? You're gonna get some rest there''

Catra nodded into Adora's chest as she braced herself for the upcoming daze from teleportation

* * *

Next thing they knew, they were on the floor of their bedroom, leaving a small puddle of water on the marble floor

''I'll just...leave you guys be, I'll get your clothes and be back to check on you in two hours'' Glimmer explained awkwardly before leaving in a poof of sparkles

Adora sighed, ''Come on, lets at least change your clothes'' She ran a hand down Catra's back in order to rouse her, placing her on the couch as she got a fresh pair of clothes for her

She helped Catra tiredly struggle into her grey sports bra and shorts, the magicat's eyes were open again now, she was pretty much awake

Adora smiled as she carried her to the bed, placing the warm covers over her as she snuggled into them, Catra let out a small purr as she settled in

Only a minute later, Adora shimmied under too, closing the lights and pulling the curtains so Catra could get a proper sleep

She wrapped her arms around Catra, her fur was always so soft and welcoming. She sleepily planted a kiss on her forehead ''You really scared me today, y'know?''

Catra opened her eyes again ''I really didn't mean to, I just...thought you were better off not knowing, you were having such a good time and...'' she trailed off

''Better off not knowing? Catra I was panicking when Scorpia told me, I was so scared I was too late, and then when I found you, you weren't breathing, and for a moment I thought...'' She stopped with a choked cry ''I don't think I could've lived myself if something happened to you''

''I'm sorry'' Catra repeated ''I didn't see it like that''

Adora looked her in the eyes again ''Just...promise me you'll tell me stuff like that next time, please?''

Catra tiredly wrapped one arm over Adora, weakly pulling her close ''Okay, I promise'' 

It was another few minutes before Adora asked ''So...why didn't you take the class the Horde gave us for swimming?''

Catra sighed ''According to Shadow Weaver'' She had to collect herself after even saying her name ''I didn't make her 'high potential' list, so me and most of the other cadets never learned''

Adora's eyes widened ''Oh, I didn't know she...'' It always felt like a slap in the face when she heard about Shadow Weaver's blatant favoritism _towards_ her, she knew Catra didn't mean it that way, but it always astounded her how horribly the woman had raised everyone but her

Catra picked up on it ''Hey, there's no way you could've known, don't beat yourself up over it'' she smiled

''Hey Catra?'' She asked quietly

''Hm?'' Catra hummed as she opened her eyes again

''D'you think, maybe, _I_ could teach you how to swim?'' She suggested

Catra raised an eyebrow ''Are you sure?''

''Yeah, it'd be a fun thing for us to do together!'' she pushed

''Sureeee, _fun_ '' Catra wasn't convinced

''And think about it'' Adora said slyly ''If I'm the only one of us who can swim, that just means my training's always been better than yours, and I don't think you'd want that'' 

That phrase seemed to do the trick ''As if! We start training next week!'' Catra said fiercely before yawning

''Sounds good to me'' Adora grinned

Another five minutes went by ''Hey Catra? Another thing...'' 

Catra was nearly asleep now ''What?''

''I love you'' She tiredly kissed Catra's cheek before drifting off herself

**Author's Note:**

> This is literally just because I've never seen this trope used with Catradora (also that one Mystreet episode)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed reading


End file.
